Smoking pipe coating composition



Patented Dec. 25, 1951 OFFICE 7 2,580,079 SMOKING PIPE COATING COMPOSITION Henry A. De Phillips, Nutley, N. J.

N Drawing. Application October 17, 1947,

Serial No. 780,575.

2 Claims.

This invention relates to pipe coating compositions and, in particular, to coatings used for tobacco smoking pipes.

Present types of tobacco smoking pipes are usually made of briar wood and, after being shaped, are then cleaned and treated with stains or dyes so as to impart a pleasing appearance to the surface of the pipe which is then covered with a finish. Heretofore, shellac was applied to the surface of such types of pipes and then buffed in order to impart the desired finished appearance to the pipe. However, in the course of time, when the pipe containing such type of coatings is used by smokers, the burning tobacco in the pipe gives oif considerable heat which is transmitted through the pores of the briar wood and comes into contact with the shellac causing the shellac to become sufiiciently soft and to seep into the pores thereby clogging them and inhibiting breathing of the briar wood. The heat on the shellac also causes it to lose its finished luster. Furthermore, in many instances, due to the heat of the pipe and the holding of said pipe in the hand of the smoker, the perspiration oozing from the pores of the hand comes into contact with the surface of the pipe and tends to act chemically on the shellac so that, in time, the pipe has a very unpleasing appearance.

As an improvement to the use of shellac, various types of resins, particularly of the synthetic type, were utilized. In many cases, there was imparted a lustrous and well wearing film to the wood. However, such resins, whether used alone or in combination with other substances, in the course of time presented the same undesirable features to the tobacco smoking pipe.

With the above undesirable features in view, it is the object of this invention to provide a composition forming a durable, lustrous film on a tobacco smoking pipe, which film permits the transmission of moisture vapor through the wood of the pipe without impairing the film on said pipe.

A novel composition which I have found and used in accordance with my invention to impart highly desired properties to a tobacco wood pipe or any other porous surface is composed of the following, which are usually mixed in the order iven:

Approximate percentage by wt. Nitrocellulose to 23 Dicaprylate of triethylene glycol 6 to 9 Solvents '71 It is to be noted that the nitrocellulose and dicaprylate of triethylene glycol constitute the solid portion of the composition and is the body of the film or coating used on a porous wood surface. The solvents are merely a vehicle for these solids so that, when applied to the woodsurface, the solids are left on the surface when the solvents have evaporated. It is to'be noted that, in lieu of the dicaprylate of triethylene glycol, I may use one or more'of the following: methoxy glycol sebacate; methoxy glycol acetyl ricinoleate; polyethylene glycol di-2-ethyl hexoate. These substances possess thesame characteristics as the dicaprylate. V V

The solvent comprises the usual ingredients and, for purposes of illustration, I use the following although I am not limited to the same since, inthe pipe coating art, there are many formulations for dissolving the solids to form a resultant film.

Approximate percentage by wt. Alcohol 13 Cellosolve (ethylene glycol monoethyl ether)... 16

It is to be noted that the film containing the composition above indicated is sufliciently uniform, smooth and microscopically porous to permit the transmission of moisture vapor particles caused by the burning of the tobacco in the pipe through the pores of the briar or any other type of porous wood. The film on the pipe surface is, at the same time, flexible and resistant to tackiness.

When coating the pipe, the composition may be applied by merely dipping the pipe into the composition whereupon the surface becomes coated. Also, the composition may be sprayed onto the pipe surface or applied by any other well-known, suitable, industrial method. In any case, the pipe, once coated with the composition, is permitted to stand in any suitable position until the solvents in the composition evaporate and the resultant film formed. The solvents can be eliminated more rapidly by baking and then the pipe is finished in the usual manner.

A film, as made and applied in accordance with the present invention, has a low solubility in water and a relatively high solubility or absorption for water, that is, it has a high degree of adsorption for water particles which will readily go off into a vapor phase without affecting the properties of the film. The nitrocellulose and the dicaprylate of triethylene glycol are not truly solu-.

ble in each other but are very compatible and, by the use of the solvents, there is produced a discrete state of aggregation of the component particles dispersedthroughout the nitrocellulose by which and through which moisture may be readily transmitted thus allowing breathing through the film.

Furthermore, the dicaprylate and the other solids, as, mentioned above, that may be used with the nitrocellulose serve as monomericelasticators; i. e., materials which tend to produce an unusual degree of resilience such as in vulcanized rubber and in similar materials,.and.whichv permit and assist in the passage of moisture vapor by the aggregate particles in the filmto" the exterior without impairment in the'smooth and flexible qualities of the film. It will bejnoted that there is a framework of interstices in the film serving as a medium for the passage'of wa ter vapor molecules through the film to the exterior.

-The propertiesof a A film "made irom a composition of the type -as--disclosed *he-rein' is not seriously afiected by the heat passing --through I claim:

1. A coating composition for tobacco smoking pipes comprising by weight: nitrocellulose about 20 to about 23%; dicaprylate of triethylene glycol about 6 to about 9% and solvents about 71%; said solvents consisting of alcohol about 13%, Cellosolve (ethylene glycol monoethyl ether) about 16%, butanol about 16%, toluol about 47 and ethyl acetate about: 8%

2. A coating composition for tobaccop'ipes comprising by weight: nitrocellulose about 20 to about 23 percent, dicaprylate of triethylene glycol about 3'6 to about-9.,percent, and solvents about '71 per- ,cent.

HENRY A. DE PHILLIPS.

REFERENCES CITED ..The. following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATESPATENTS 4 Number Name .Date

2,025,811 Dorian *1Dec.3l, l935 2,032,091 :Holt -z Feb.';25.,1.1936 2,053,289 .Izard. :Sept.-8, 1936 2,439,281 Barsky ;Apr; 6, 1948 OTHER REFERENCES Official Digest of lthe- Federation of Paint 48: Varnish'Production Clubs by the Chicago Club, 1945, pp. 493, 494, 498, Bur. of-Stds. Lib. 

2. A COATING COMPOSITION FOR TOBACCO PIPES COMPRISING BY WEIGHT; NITROCELLULOSE ABOUT 20 TO ABOUT 23 PERCENT, DICAPRYLATE OF TRIETHYLENE GLYCOL ABOUT 6 TO ABOUT 9 PERCENT, AND SOLVENTS ABOUT 71 PERCENT. 